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Heaven for Everyone
| released = 1988 | format = 7" single, 12" single, CD single | recorded = 1987–1988 | studio = | venue = | genre = Rock | length = 5:08 | label = Parlophone | writer = Roger Taylor | producer = Roger Taylor, David Richards | prev_title = Shove It | prev_year = 1988 | next_title = Manipulator | next_year = 1989 | misc = }} }} }} }} "Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. It originally appeared in his side project The Cross's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it is the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven where it was the seventh track, and was released as the first single — four years after Mercury’s death. The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and in the Netherlands while becoming a top-ten hit in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland and Switzerland. Directed by David Mallet, the music video opens with images of graffiti messages in tribute to Mercury outside his home, Garden Lodge, Kensington in London, before showing footage of Georges Méliès seminal 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon and The Impossible Voyage (1904).Queen Promo Videos: Heaven For Everyone Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 14 November 2011 Background and writing Some reports have Taylor writing the song in 1986 as part of Queen's A Kind of Magic album sessions, after their work on Highlander was complete. If he did, the song was not used, or was incomplete when the album was finished. When Taylor started working on the album Shove It, he recruited Freddie Mercury to record backing vocals. Two versions were recorded, one with Mercury doing backing to Taylor's lead vocals, and another with Mercury singing lead. The backing track of each was rerecorded as well, instead of the two lead vocals being recorded over the same instrumental backing. The Taylor-vocal version is about twenty seconds longer than the Mercury-vocal version. The Cross versions also feature a spoken intro by Taylor, as well as a spoken refrain in the middle. The refrain in the Taylor vocal has an extra lyric not sung in the Mercury-vocal version (though it appears in the printed lyrics). Both versions end with Taylor saying "And that. Is the end. Of this section." It's unclear if he means 'section' as that half of the album, or the serious-issues section of the album (this song being the only serious song on the album). The UK edition of the album Shove It featured Mercury's vocal version, while the UK single featured Taylor's vocal version. In the US, the album featured Taylor's vocal version and neither were released as a single. The song, Taylor noted, "had some good stuff about love and dignity; the usual antiwar thing." Music video '' appears in Queen’s 1995 music video for the song]] Queen’s music video for the song commemorates Mercury. It was directed by David Mallet and released in 1995. The video opens with images of the graffiti covered walls of Mercury’s home, Garden Lodge, Kensington, before showing footage from the films A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902), The Impossible Voyage (Le Voyage à travers l'impossible, 1904) and The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon (L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune, 1907) by Georges Méliès. A second music video for the song, directed by Simon Pummell was included on the Made In Heaven: The Films VHS and features Cypriot-Australian performance artist Stelarc operating a robotic "third hand" to symbolise a new era of man and machine. The music video for The Cross version involved Taylor singing the song on a beach-like setting, while elderly people walked past the band and climbed up ladders to reach heaven. Track listings 1988 The Cross single releases UK 7" single # "Heaven for Everyone" (Roger Taylor vocals) # "Love on a Tightrope" UK 12" single # "Heaven for Everyone" (Roger Taylor vocals) # "Love on a Tightrope" # "Contact" After Freddie Mercury's death, as Queen prepared to complete their posthumous album, Made in Heaven, this song was selected to be re-done by the band as a Queen song. The lead vocal Mercury recorded in 1987 was given a new backing track and new backing vocals. A significant difference between The Cross versions and the Queen version is that there's no spoken introduction, refrain or "end" as done by Taylor on the original. Queen has offered no explanation as to why these elements were dropped. It was the first UK single (Cat. # QUEEN21) off the new album on 23 October 1995, two weeks before the album's release. A planned two-part single, the same song with different B-side tracks was issued 30 October 1995, one week before the album's release. For the single releases, a single version was prepared, editing some instrumental portions of the song (almost a full minute's worth). 1995 Queen single releases UK CD1 # "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) # "It's a Beautiful Day" # "Heaven for Everyone" (Album Version) UK CD2 # "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) # "Keep Yourself Alive" # "The Seven Seas of Rhye" # "Killer Queen" UK cassette # "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) # "It's a Beautiful Day" (Single Version) US CD single # "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) # "Soul Brother" (recorded in 1981) UK Promo CD / 12" # "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) UK 7" *A. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version) *B. "Heaven for Everyone" (Album Version) Personnel The Cross version *Roger Taylor – vocals, most instruments *Spike Edney – keyboards, vocals *Freddie Mercury – Guest Vocals and backing vocals *possibly rest of The Cross or John Deacon Queen version *Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals *Brian May – electric guitar, backing vocals *Roger Taylor – drums, keyboards, backing vocals *John Deacon – bass guitar Charts and sales Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications References External links * * Lyrics at Queen official website Category:Queen (band) songs Category:1980s ballads Category:1988 singles Category:1995 singles Category:Parlophone singles Category:Songs written by Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) Category:Rock ballads Category:Hollywood Records singles Category:1987 songs Category:Georges Méliès Category:Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)